Why Print?
THE TOP TEN
Print is for keeps. Print is portable. Print drives a
higher ROI. Print is beautiful. Print plays well with
others. Buyers seek print.
The
Print is credible.
Print puts them in control.
Top
Print is personal.
Print is everywhere.
Ten
Print is for keeps.
is portable.
Ways
Print drives a higher ROI. Print
is beautiful.
Print plays well with others.
Buyers seek print.
Helps
Print is credible.
puts them in control.
You
Print is personal. Print
is for keeps. Print is everywhere.
Prosper
Print is
portable.
Print drives a higher ROI. Print is beautiful.
We all take printing for granted.
Perhaps it’s because print has been the world’s
number one communications medium for so long
we tend to overlook its impact and power.
That oversight could be fatal to a
marketing campaign, a product launch,
or a branding initiative that is trying to connect
with people. People trust print.
They feel comfortable using it.
And they can’t fast forward past it.
This guide to the persuasive power of
print provides the top ten reasons why
you should consider using print in your
next campaign. It doesn’t have to be the only
medium you use. But, you most definitely should
consider print whenever you want to persuade,
inform or entertain.
Here are your reasons why. . .
We’ve
Got Your
Reasons.
Why
Who’s minding your messages when the screens fade to black? Electronic content comes and goes and when it’s gone, your marketing initiative disappears with it. Print, on the other hand, is there for the long run. Think about magazine pass-along rates. They range as high as two to three persons per issue, giving advertisers double and triple bonuses on their marketing
investments.
Example: A 2004 BPA Pass Along Audit of Ziff Davis Media's eWEEK magazine shows that on average subscribers pass along their printed issue to an additional 3.6 industry decision-makers. So, even the elite of the IT world recognize and benefit from print.
What’s more, specific magazine content can be spotlighted and passed along on a one-to-one basis. A Magazine Publishers of America survey found that 24% of readers typically pass an article along to someone else, 23% save the article for future reference, and 13% visit a related website.
In action, print’s durability has a positive impact on every message it touches. It says: Your message is significant. That you cared enough to put it on paper. That you are authentic rather than virtual, and you will be there when we need you.
A Magazine Publishers of America survey found that 24% of readers typically pass an article
P r i n t i s p o r t a b l e .
Long after their iPod battery is drained, people will still be reading what you send them in print. Print is the ultimate in portability and playability. They can pick up a magazine at a newsstand, buy a book on the fly or grab your brochure from a trade show exhibit. There are no compatibility issues, no need to keep any-thing charged, and never a worry about screen glare.
You can fold print, stuff it, clip it, even scratch-and-sniff it.
The researchers found that U.S. adver-tisers spend $167 per person in direct mail marketing to earn $2,095 worth of goods per person, scoring a return on investment of 13 to 1.
P r i n t
d r i v e s a
h i g h e r
R O I .
Printing is particularly persuasive as direct mail. According to research by the Direct Marketing Association and the Wharton Economic Forecasting Associates, print’s performance through the mail can be measured in dollars
and cents.
The DMA researchers found that U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person in direct mail marketing to earn $2,095 worth of goods per person, scoring a return on investment of 13 to 1.
Why? Because people gravitate toward print. A total of 38% of households surveyed by the U.S. Postal Service in 2006 found direct mail pieces interesting. That study also found that 85% of mail is either read or visually scanned by recipients.
Why do they call it the graphic arts? Because print is beautiful and printers continue to consider every job they do a personal masterpiece. And now, advanced printing techniques — like high-fi color and advanced screening — make their work more appealing and more compelling.
Photos seem to jump off the page. Special effects draw the eye to the printed content, and a new generation of papers and substrates make readers want to touch and feel your message. You can’t get any closer than that. The beauty of print will enhance your product or service, giving it a special appeal of its own and an extra tangible dimension that no electronic media can impart.
P r i n t i s f o r k e e p s . P r i n t d r i v e s a h i g h e r R O I . P r i n t p l a y s w e l l w i t h o t h e r s .
Why Print?
T H E T O P T E N W A Y S P R I N T H E L P S Y O U
P R O S P E R
P r i n t p l a y s w e l l w i t h o t h e r s . P r i n t i s c r e d i b l e . P r i n t i s p e r s o n a l .
Why Print?
T H E T O P T E N W A Y S P R I N T H E L P S Y O U
P R O S P E R
P r i n t p l a y s w e l l w i t h o t h e r s .
Sure, the Internet is cool. What’s cooler is using a printed direct mail campaign to draw prospects to a personalized website, then following up with a printed thank-you card or closer.
Yes, the World Wide Web provides a real-time interactive environment, but so do the telephone and the television. Print enhances the impact of all of those media by providing your client’s prospects with an extra dimension. One that’s friendly. One that’s warm. One that’s inviting. And, one that they can’t very well ignore because they’re holding it right in their hands.
Consider the 2003 research published in the Journal of Advertising Research, which examined the advertising impact on weekly sales of a pizza franchiser. It found that the best combination of media in driving sales is direct mail and national TV advertising used together. The print/ broadcast duo doubled the impact of using any one medium alone.
An American Business Media study adds more insight into the effectiveness of combining print with other media. According to that research, B-to-B magazines were viewed by prospects as trustworthy and objective, websites were seen as the place where they received timely information, and trade shows were viewed as the place for interactions and to improve their awareness of
B u y e r s s e e k p r i n t .
The success of retail websites means
printed catalogs can be relegated to the
doornail file. Or so says the conventional
wisdom. But, recent research indicates
otherwise.
Online consumers who received a
printed catalog from any given retailer
were nearly twice as likely to make an
online purchase at that
retailer’s website. The finding comes
from a comScore survey based on 6,400
responses from online shoppers.
The reason for the sales
windfall: consumers seek print when
they’re ready to buy. That’s a fact
supported by a 2005 field study by the
Direct Marketing Association. Scoring
the primary channels for generating
orders, the research found that 60%
came from printed catalogs, 24%
were inspired by retail settings and
only 9% arrived via Internet.
The percent of sales by
channel also showed
print’s pulling power. Paper
catalogs accounted for
42% of sales, retail 20%,
websites 26% and other
channels 12%.
In a 2006 study of newspaper
readers sponsored by the
Newspaper Association of America, 78% reported that they
use newspaper inserts to plan shopping and 76% say that
these inserts have helped them save money.
P r i n t i s c r e d i b l e .
The phrase, “Get it down on paper” has never been more meaningful. Having words and images that you can examine and hold in your hand, review, show to others and keep in a safe place provides a degree of reassurance that no bit-and-byte medium can match.
People love the speed and scope of the Internet, but the WWW’s fleeting nature makes them wonder: Am I getting the fast shuffle here? And what’s all this contradictory information? Conversely, our ink-on-paper medium is believable because print is real, print is timeless and print is focused.
An increasing number of marketers are leveraging print’s high credibility by using custom publications to get their messages out and absorbed. More than 32 billion custom publications circulate annually in the United States, according to the Custom Publishing Review’s 2006 Annual Report. Total expenditures on the medium amounted to $29.9 billion for the year. The researchers
also found that 66% of people surveyed read custom publications and that 80% agree that custom
Telemarketing is the crudest form of cold calling and, with the growth in do-not-call lists, its effectiveness has sunk to an all-time low. In fact, a Time magazine poll ranked telemarketing number four on the list of the worst ideas of the 20th century. Today, it has gotten to the point that many companies stay away from the phone because they don’t want their reputations damaged by overeager telemarketers.
But what happens when we add print to the equation? Send prospects a personalized mailing that introduces the caller and lets them tell you the best time to call. Now you’re putting the potential customer in control of the situation. There are no more interruptions at dinner. There is only a positive flow of information between the marketer and the consumer. The bond starts to get stronger, the relationship grows, and the sale becomes a natural
progression of the power of print rather than a rude intrusion.
It’s time to put each prospect’s name up in lights, literally. Or use a skywriter to put your personalized message to them in the clouds. Or maybe you want to include a photo or the specific product in which they expressed interest. Print can do all that and more because print takes marketing personally.
Using new variable data printing (VDP)
and one-to-one messaging techniques,
you can personalize each and every piece of your print campaign — right down to the specific photos you use and every word of your pitch. Did someone say relationship building?
According to a 2004 report by Interquest, the response rate for customized color
direct mail campaigns ranged from 6% to 75%, with an average of 21%. The
response rates were, on average, 5.6 times higher for customized color versions than for simple mail merge applications. The more you individualize print, the more individuals you will inspire.
A study by the Magazine Publishers of America found that for 36 brands that shifted ad expenditures from TV to magazines, media effectiveness scores doubled over time.
P r i n t i s e v e r y w h e r e .
Print has been the world’s favorite medium ever since a little known monk asked Gutenberg: “How much do you want for that Bible?” We’re used to being surrounded by print. We’re comfortable with it. We want more. What do the numbers say? Consider a 2006 survey by the magazine Graphic
Design USA. It found that 9 out of 10 of the designers polled have worked in
print during the last year. What’s more, a total of 91% of the respondents’ projects involved print exclusively or were comprised of a
substantial print component. The survey also discovered that 71% of the designers’ total work hours were devoted to
print-driven projects.
Look at event marketing. It wouldn’t be possible without print. Programs, posters, signage of all kinds, special commemorative publications — print is on the scene at ball games, motorsports venues, concerts, shows, fairs, museums, galleries and rallies. Wherever a crowd gathers, print can provide a platform for marketers and a fresh perspective for fans.
There is even evidence that we like print more than television. A study by the Magazine Publishers of America found that for 36 brands that shifted ad expenditures from TV to magazines, media effectiveness scores doubled over time.
This guide to the value of print was created using as many different printing techniques as we could fit into one 16-page brochure. The idea is to show you just a fraction of the many faces of print so, you can use its persuasive power to its full advantage on every project you put on paper. The versatility of our medium is another way print helps you prosper.
How to make your printing pop.
The Top Ten
Ways Print
Helps
You
PROSPER
Research and Data
Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Print Media
For additional information, please visit The Print Council website at: www.theprintcouncil.org The Print Council
1155 21st Street, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036-3312 202-973-5977
www.theprintcouncil.org
This Week Publications 274 Puuhale Road Ste. 200
Honolulu, HI 96819 www.thisweekmagazines.com Hagadone Printing 274 Puuhale Road Honolulu, HI 96819 www.hagadoneprinting.com Hagadone Digital 274 Puuhale Road Honolulu, HI 96819 www.hagadonedigital.com
